I've watched every O's game so far this year and watched a good amount of spring training. Wieters' plate approach has really come together so far this year. Yes, we have to take into account that it's a small sample so far but it seems that this is the year. That O's lineup is actually really solid with Hardy, Markakakis and Jones setting the table and Reynold providing some protection behind him. He's swinging the bat with great power but I think the best part of his game this year will be his BB rate and contact%, which should push his average to .300 with a little BABIP help.

I went in on Wieters this year in a few leagues, getting him around the 8th round on average. I typically don't pay top dollar for catchers as the position has some depth this year but I think Wieters provides a healthy return and .290-30-90 is not out of the question.

I'm on board as an Orioles fan and am starting to regret not taking a gamble on him in my league. The area I'm paying the most attention to is his ability to consistently hit from both sides of the plate. Last year, for the first time in his career, he looked like he figured out lefties and then started crushing them at will. Sure the BABIP (.380) and HR/FB (25%) will both come down but I still see that hot streak as a major part of his development and building confidence. If he can make a similar adjustment vs righties we could see that big step forward you're looking for. After 3 seasons with ISO's in the .130's vs RHP it's been great to see him get off to a hot start with 2 dingers through 4 games off righties.

Wieters was my backup plan but I love Napoli this year. It would not be shocking though if Wieters becomes the hitter we thought 2-3 yrs ago. He is a prime example of why you should lower your expectations of Lawrie and Hosmer.

I targeted Wieters as my C this year, but wound up with Santana instead (not exactly mad about it, but hey). I think Wieters is definitely going to live up to the billing that was thrust upon him three years ago. A guy you want to call a post-hype sleeper, but to be honest he showed signs last season and many people projected him to have a very good year this year. Either way, it's nice to see him hitting well this early.

kab21 wrote:Wieters was my backup plan but I love Napoli this year. It would not be shocking though if Wieters becomes the hitter we thought 2-3 yrs ago. He is a prime example of why you should lower your expectations of Lawrie and Hosmer.

Lawrie and Hosmer both proved themselves at least a little bit at the MLB level. Wieter's hype was based off minor leage stats alone. Same goes for Alex Gordon if I remember right.

It generally takes some time for catchers to develop their offensive game at the MLB level. To compare Wieters' situation to Hosmer or Lawrie directly isn't fair. I get what the point of the statement is though and agree with it.

kab21 wrote:He is a prime example of why you should lower your expectations of Lawrie and Hosmer.

The difference is that Weiters never did anything at the MLB level.

Hosmer played basically a full season at age 21 and raked. He put up a legitimately solid .293/.334/.465 An .800 OPS doesnt even need the age qualification to be impressive. Not to mention he stole 10 bags.

Lawrie played 2 months and was one of the best hitters in all of baseball in that short time with his .950 OPS

I've read more than one study on catchers taking longer to develop their hitting skills than other position players. Probably because there is so much to the catching position that isn't hitting.I'm not saying this to counter any argument. I'm not really interested in comparing Wieters to Hosmer or Lawrie. This thread is all about Matt Wieters.

Wieters was my number 2 catcher target this year behind Carlos Santana. He had a nice 2nd half last year and I just felt this was finally his season to post great numbers. Although I still hold Santana to a much higher standard.